L'Antique
by Aleyerrad
Summary: We can get you anything and everything... for a price. Inspired by Neopets: Treasure Keepers.
1. Request

**L'Antique**

**Summary:** We can get you anything and everything… for a price.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neopets

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><p><strong>[1]<strong>

**Request**

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><p><em>We can get you anything and everything… for a price.<em>

Those words resounded in his head as Leapfoot moved forwards, his destination the little whitewash cottage that sat in the cobblestone crossway just beyond the quaint plaza.

With whitewashed walls that appeared navy in the twilight, chocolate brown roof tiles, clear glass windows framed by pine wood, and gray stone steps that lead up to a large mahogany door, it looked the same as all its neighboring buildings. But it was also different, and the most obvious was the signboard that swayed a few inches above the door, hanging by slightly rusted chains.

L'Antique, it read in cursive, ancient-looking handwriting. Leapfoot gulped.

This was the place.

His steps slowed significantly with each step he took towards the sleek mahogany doors, until he finally stopped before the brass handle that gleamed in the moonlight.

_We can get you anything and everything… for a price._

"W-w-well… here goes nothing…"

Plucking up what little courage that he had, Leapfoot raised a paw and knocked gently against the wood. The resulting sound echoed spookily around the almost deserted neighborhood and Leapfoot jumped at the sound.

"S-Stupid!" he chided his own cowardice. "You made that sound! What are you afraid of?"

With a pounding heart, Leapfoot gripped onto the brass handle and pushed. A bell jangled lightly and the door slid open just a fraction, unoiled hinges screeching into the dark, candlelit shop. It was, surprisingly, unlocked. As if the owner had already anticipated his arrival.

Somehow, that thought chilled him to the core.

"H-Hello?" he greeted. The shadows returned it with absolute silence. Candle fires swished gently with the new breeze, as if welcoming his presence.

Unsure of what he was supposed to do or what was supposed to happen, Leapfoot invited himself in. Taking small, cautious steps, the cybunny had a vague impression of a haunted house where the door would slam behind him at any second and lock him there for all of eternity.

A tingle down his spine prompted him to look to his left, and…

"Holy-!"

Crashing onto the hardwood unceremoniously, the cybunny looked up at the face a blue scorchio, dressed in a red uniform and holding a cardboard box. It stared at him for as long as he stared at it, and cold sweat ran down his back at the thought of being mistaken for a thief. Granted, he wasn't a thief yet, at least until the initiation ceremony was over. But right now, he was a client, and it was not a good idea to get in trouble with the one he was seeking help from.

He immediately leapt up and bowed in apology.

"I'm very sorry! I wanted to… oh sh-!"

In his reckless rush to clear himself of unwanted charges, Leapfoot had accidentally hit the other neopian. The scorchio smiled statically as it fell backwards with a clatter. His hand outstretched, Leapfoot stared dumbly at the fallen piece of neopian-sized cardboard. He almost face palmed.

"Good going, Leapfoot. You got freaked out over a piece of cardboard. What kind of a to-be-thief are you?"

Allowing himself a chance to glance around the vacant shop, Leapfoot spotted in the suffocating darkness the shapes of packets of food rations, piled neatly in a corner of the shop specifically designated for food products. Meatloafs, neggs, and all sorts of goods that had failed to sell out for the day sat silently on the tables, their vast array of colours bright even in the blackness. To the right, books filled the shelves in one corner, magical ingredients and artifacts the other. Swords and staves lined the walls, some remaining on tabletop display next to shields, bucklers, ropes, and other basic equipment.

As his eyes trailed to the countertop, he drew in a deep breath. On the dark, elegant table, he spotted the most exotic of arrangements that he had failed to notice in his fearful retreat from the cardboard scorchio. A forest amulet lay beside bracelets, rings and earrings. It was an amazingly rare jewelry, extremely hard to obtain and rumored to offer protection in the Haunted Woods. And on the next table, peridot, ruby, amethyst, and citrine lined the desk beside a beautiful, unblemished stone of shiverthyst. It glowed a brilliant sky blue hue, arousing his thief instincts and causing his grubby hands to itch with desire. And…

Oh gods, was that a _supernova_?

Leapfoot pinched his arm. He had to control himself! But the jewel… the nova… it was just so _mesmerizing_…

"Damned beast!"

There was a crash, and Leapfoot leapt backwards in shock. A trapdoor that he had not noticed burst open, allowing a sinewy shape to leap out from within the underground room. A flash of blonde blinded his eyes and a slam that shook the entire building deafened his ears moments later.

"And stay in there!" a distinctly female voice screamed.

To his absolute shock, whatever was below the trapdoor bashed against it, retreating with a groan and a frustrated hiss only when the wood refused to budge.

"Good riddance…"

Maybe it was from the shock of having someone appear from the middle of nowhere, screaming at the top of her lungs; or maybe it was from everything that he had been through in this short fifteen minutes of his life, that Leapfoot found himself suppressing the urge to wet himself. Fearfully, he gazed into the pink irises unique to his kind and froze when they glared darkly at him.

But in that instant, those eyes brightened and the girl's temper diminished.

"Oh? A customer, at this time?"

Placing a hand on the dark countertop, the lass flipped over the table and landed soundly in front of him. Setting the babaa she held in her hands onto the floor, she placed her hands on her waist in an almost arrogant pose and regarded him disapprovingly.

"Welcome to the L'Antique," she greeted. "The name's Cynthia, and though I'd really like to serve you and all we're closed for the night."

"But… the door-"

"Was open, yes. I forgot to lock it."

Leapfoot found himself sweatdropping at her eccentricities. What he had expected of the owner of a shop like L'Antique, it was certainly not her. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. As if reading his thoughts, her eyes narrowed and she snapped.

"Well, what are you still doing here? Keep those ogling eyes to yourself and get out before I drag you out."

"W-wait!" he cried, just as she turned her back to him. "I-I've heard that you can get anything and everything…?"

"Yep," the other cybunny nodded. "That's our motto. Well, mine anyways."

"Yours?"

"Uh-huh? You see anyone else around here? 'cept for Wylie, of course."

The white babaa blinked bright blue eyes and bleated sleepily at the call of its name.

"Then why…?"

"Cause it sounds better that way, duh."

Leapfoot said nothing. He couldn't say anything without it sounding stupid or foolish. A part of him actually regretted stepping foot into this shop, or even overhearing the townsfolk's gossips about the girl's remarkable ability to accomplish any given request in a relatively short period of time. But he hadn't another option, had he? It was either here, or the orchard with living statues.

"So, are you going to just stand there and look pretty? Cause if you are, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

That effectively snapped him out of his stupor.

"A-ah actually, I have a request," he said, "I've got to steal four silver apples for the first task of the Thieves' Guild initiation ceremony, but the Royal Orchard terrifies me… there are statues that _cometolife_ and _trytoeatyou_!"

Those last words came out in a scrambled rush and would not have made any sense whatsoever had he been talking to someone not completely interested in what he was saying.

Cynthia snorted, and despair hit him like a wave.

"I really, really want to get in! Please! I'll pay you anything!"

He swore he saw a glitter in the shopkeeper's eyes at that statement. The other cybunny smiled darkly.

"_Now_ we're talking my language."

Leapfoot gulped for the umpteenth time today. What was she going to require as payment for her service? He'd read in stories about witches who would fulfill your request in exchange for your soul, and this girl's demeanor fit that kind of namesake in every possible way. He winced as she opened her mouth.

"Twenty neopoints per apple."

"Please don't take my soul- wait, what did you say?"

The shopkeeper put on an almost bemused expression.

"I said, twenty neopoints per apple. But I can always increase the service charge if you deem it… _insufficient_ for such a task."

"N-No! Twenty is fine!" he replied hastily. "Twenty neopoints is perfectly fine."

"Good, but I'll have to ask you to pay a deposit first. Can't have you pranking me to do anything that would get me in trouble."

He nodded blindly. "How much?"

"Half of the agreed price."

Digging into his pockets, Leapfoot forked out the coins with shaking hands and placed them in her outstretched palm.

"You… won't tell anyone else about this, will you?"

The blonde looked affronted.

"Confidentiality of the customer's identity is a part of my business."

"G-g-great!"

"A pleasure doing business with you," Cynthia smiled cheerfully, pocketing the deposit. "Come back in the morning. I'll have your order ready by then."

And before Leapfoot could say anything more, the door slammed shut in his face. He blinked stupidly.

Since when had he been standing outside of the shop?


	2. Orchard

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neopets

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><p><strong>[2]<strong>

**Orchard**

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><p>Marvin yawned, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he stalked the gardens of the palace. He was supposed to be keeping an eye out for intruders, but he didn't exactly understand the point of it all. Sure, there were people who could infiltrate the palace through the gardens, but defense was almost absolute. On the other hand, the atmosphere here was so serene at night… so very peaceful…<p>

The grass rustled, and something white hopped into his line of sight. The lupe lifted his weapon, but halted when he saw what he was about to hit.

The wooly petpet bounded out of the bushes, its white coat sparkling, its tiny feet making the most adorable noises as it pranced around in the grass.

"Oh. It's a babaa," he grinned stupidly. "That's one babaa…"

The sheep hopped away, then rounded back on him. Blinking its wide blue eyes, it bleated innocently and bored into his soul. Tempted, he moved over and bent to pat it, never noticing the presence of the small pink flower. Drawing in the sweet, alluring smell of the slumberweed, his vision fogged with drowsiness and he fell forwards into a peaceful dream of babaas and fresh grass.

Revealing herself from behind the nearby hedge, Cynthia went over and picked up Wylie before he too succumbed to the sleep-inducing flora.

"What an idiot…" she shook her head. "Are all guards like this?"

Wylie bleated its opinion on the matter, and she smirked.

"Come on. I want to see that statue."

She took one last look at the guard.

"But first, I'll relieve him of this…"

Fishing out the oval jewel hanging on the lupe's neck, Cynthia pocketed it with a smile before moving deeper into the garden.

~A~

Leapfoot barely got a wink of sleep. With every minute that drew closer to daybreak, his heart pounded harder, faster. His mind ran wild with thoughts, irrational or not that plagued his dreams. He saw the living statue, a hideous monster against the midnight blue, diving at Cynthia, its sharp jagged claws ripping her to shreds. What if she got caught? What if she did not get what he requested in time? He would never be accepted into the Thief's Guild. His dreams would be thrown down the drain.

What if… what if…?

"Argh!" he screamed in frustration. He shouldn't be worrying about this! Cynthia was a professional! She'd probably done so many hundreds of similar jobs that this one probably sounded ridiculous to her!

Or at least, that was what he tried to convince himself with.

_Thump!_

The to-be thief flinched at the eerie noise and all of a sudden, he was reminded of the creature the shopkeeper had been wrestling with before she had entertained his request. Feeling a little more than conscious of his own surroundings, Leapfoot cautiously peeked underneath his bed, half-expecting a monster to come jumping out.

He shrieked a very high-pitched, very girly shriek when it actually did.

He was only too glad that the sound came out muffled. Latching adamantly onto his face, his puppyblew extended its tongue and slathered him with dog slobber. A mild struggled ensued, where Leapfoot tried in vain to remove the petpet.

"Ack! Let go, Eric!"

With a final push, the puppy released its hold and landed on the bed, yipping amusedly. Rubbing his face to numb the pain, Leapfoot sighed and got out of bed. Throwing on a coat, he headed for the kitchen to brew himself a cup of coffee.

He couldn't sleep either way. Best to make use of that few hours before sunrise to make sure his house was free of any possible unwanted guests that may be hiding in the closet or whatever, waiting to ambush him.

~A~

By the time she reached her apparent destination, Cynthia was more than a little annoyed. What kind of an idiot would have nothing better to do than to enchant _grass_ – of all things – to grab at any passing person? At least the thorns and ivy could be explained away, and the slumberweed was relatively useful in knocking the guards out. But grass?

The cybunny's leather pouch bounced heavily on her waist, now filled with the various objects she managed to loot from the surprisingly bountiful yard of cultivated plants. She would have to come back sometime for more.

Plucking a leaf out of her ruffled fur, Cynthia stormed her way forwards to the fountain that stood in the middle of the orchard. An almost translucent curtain of water flowed from beneath the sculpture's feet, and the sculpture itself was a scorchio made of granite. Standing in a fighter's crouch with a hammer in its left and a sword in its right, it looked completely normal.

"He wants to join the Thief's Guild, but he's afraid of the statues? Really?" Cynthia shook her head. "Has the guild's standards for new recruits fallen _this_ much since I left?"

Behind that architecture, she could see the faint shine of her objective, but the only way to get over to that wall was by the fountain. But however absurd, the blonde wasn't one to ignore a warning. Her lips pulled back into a feral grin. This was going to be fun.

"Ready, Wylie?" The babaa bleated nervously in response.

Hugging her petpet close to her chest, Cynthia charged forwards. At that instant, the statue's granite eyes beamed with red. Without any warning whatsoever, it launched from its post and landed with a thump in front of her, blocking her way.

It opened its mouth in a silent roar and brought its hammer down. Breaking her charge and rolling out of the way, Cynthia's eyes caught the glimmer of treasure, and she snatched up the emerald choker that was lying by the bushes. Leaping into the air, the shopkeeper-turned-adventurer was just in time to dodge a swipe from the sword that, while it would not be able to cut her with that blunted edge, would cause a nasty bruising if it hit.

"How to deactivate a statue… how to deactivate a statue…" she chanted.

The water sparkled, catching her attention. Beneath that thin veil, a hollow, oval shape that seemed remarkably familiar…

A movement at the corner of her eye forced Cynthia to jump towards the fountain. The hammer crushed the ground beneath it, and the draconic head turned in her direction. Spinning around, the cybunny drew out the pendant she had stolen from the guard earlier. Behind her, the scorchio charged, sword raised.

It slashed downwards on her form, just as she thrust the stone into the open slot.

There was an audible click, and the pendant slid into the hole perfectly.

The statue paused in its movements, the sword a hair's breadth away from her head. Crimson eyes flashed once in tandem with the jewel before it retreated to its spot on the pedestal, becoming as still as the stone it should have been.

Cynthia sighed regretfully. That stone would have had sold for a nice price.

Moving forwards, the final obstacle that hindered her mission in the backyard of a stingy ruler reveled in its gilded glory. The tree bearing silver apples was just beyond that rusted, fanged gate, and the only way to open it was a set of levers by the side.

"Coded, huh…" She set her petpet on the grass. "Wylie, go distract anyone that might come this way while I figure this out."

The petite sheep nodded, trotting back towards the entrance of the fountain square.

Pricking up her ears, Cynthia listened as she tested the levers one by one. A series of nearly inaudible clicks sounded, but none of them were the ones needed to free the gate. The cybunny frowned. It was like picking one of those combination locks, only much more tedious.

There was the rustle of grass; probably a guard approaching or having fallen prey to the slumberweed.

She gulped. There wasn't much time left, and Wylie could only do so much before it encountered a guard that was not so easily distracted by its innocent charm.

Another click. No, not that one.

The sound of armor approaching.

Sweat trickled down her neck.

_Click, click…_ Very close, but not quite.

_Baaa!_ Wylie cried in warning, retreating to her side.

A lupine shadow appeared just beyond the far hedge…

A final click, and the sound of something being unlocked snapped in the dark night. The adventurer released her held breath. She gave a signal, and both of them slid past the gates, barely missing a guard on patrol.

Whistling at the sight before her, she plucked her prize and grinned. The magnificent silver apple gleamed in the palm of her hand, a gorgeous metallic sheen that could rival even the polished accessories she managed to pick up. The cybunny tossed the apple into the air and then snatched it out of it. Gazing back at the idyllic scenery, she exhaled softly.

"It's a beautiful night for stealing beautiful things, isn't it?"

She should have charged a higher price.

~A~

Morning couldn't have come sooner. As soon as the indigo-violet sky broke into a palette of salmon and pastel, Leapfoot tore out of the house. Stumbling on his way out, he stuffed a pouch filled with coins into his bag and raced for the square.

Contrary to the previous day, the area bustled with activity. Windows flung open like unfurling petals, welcoming in the rich aroma of coffee and the sweet buttery perfume of freshly baked pastry. The shopkeepers revealed their colourful interior and linear array of goods to the exuberance of life as the townsfolk filed into the streets, their blithe chatter bringing to life a bustling marketplace full of delicious smells and mouthwatering scents.

For Leapfoot, however, there was only one place in his mind. A familiar bell jingled as a kougra pushed open the door to the L'Antique, an intense eagerness painted on his face. Hurriedly, Leapfoot made his way towards the shop, worry, excitement and anticipation bubbling with every step.

The sight inside the shop startled him the minute he set foot within its borders.

Peach-coloured wall paper complemented the dark floorboards in a simple but pleasant beauty, and lights permeated every corner of the building. The entire shop was bright and cheery, the complete opposite of what he had experienced the day before. There were other neopians browsing the stocks too: a housewife deep in thought as she stared at the loaves of fresh bread, and an alchemist studying a bottle of green goop. The kougra he had seen headed towards the bookshelves and started to go through its contents, picking and replacing several ridiculously thick novels. It made _him_ feel like buying something.

In the remarkably humble shop, it was very easy to locate the one he had been seeking. Cynthia stood, by the counter, haggling with an aristocrat the price of the shimerthyst he had seen yesterday.

"Three hundred and thirty-two," she said with finality. "The cut and clarity deserves no less."

Slowly but hesitantly, the acara nodded.

"Deal."

They shook hands, and the male handed over pouch of coins. Cynthia, in turn, carefully wrapped the stone in velvet and placed it into waiting hands.

"Thank you very much," she bowed. The tone of her voice, so polite and sweet and innocent, made him wonder if the Cynthia he met yesterday was the same one that was in front of him right now.

As the aristocrat brushed past him, a satisfied smile at his purchase, Leapfoot moved towards the blonde expectantly.

Cynthia caught his eye, and her own lit up happily.

"Ah! It's you! Your order is ready."

Moving towards the counters, she reached under the table and retrieved a box. Turning around, she held it out to him, her face beaming. Lifting the lid, Leapfoot's eyes widened at the sight of four perfect silver apples, their skin sleek and smooth to the touch, their bodies glowing radiantly. He looked at her, mouth agape. She just grinned, as if obtaining them were the easiest thing in the world.

"They are satisfactory, yes?"

"O-of course!"

Hurriedly, Leapfoot drew out the remaining forty coins that was the other half of the agreed price. Cynthia's smile grew as she counted the payment.

"Thank you very much for your purchase. We hope to see you again."

On his way out, Wylie bleated in greeting, and he couldn't resist the urge to pat its ridiculously soft wool. His eyes trailed towards the display. With a little consideration, he retrieved the Guildmember's Guidebook from the table at the far end.

"I'll take this too."

Cynthia nodded obediently.

"That'll be seventeen."

The coins clattered on the countertop and he smiled.

"Thanks."

She returned it with one of her own and a dark twinkle in her eye.

"It's a pleasure."

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><p><strong>AN:** And that's it folks. A very short story based on the facebook application. I have several more ideas in mind that I can add to this ficlet, but those will be drabbles and I want to focus on finishing my other stories first before I come back to this one. And just in case anyone was wondering why Cynthia had such a sudden change in character during the day, no it's not a split personality; it's a mask. Her true demeanor isn't exactly the best for a saleswoman. If she didn't act all sweet and nice, all her customers would run away.


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